See Also

Showtime's Homeland is a massive hit for the network, and it's for a good reason.

The show's first season was excellent TV – worth the ~$10/month consumers have to pay to get the network.

But this year's season has been basically terrible due to plot implausibilities, poor acting, and boring story-telling.

Here are four quick reasons why:

The Dana Brody subplot is super boring. Plus, the actress who plays her can only make one face – the sneering teenager scowl.

Al Qaeda has a mole in the US Congress, and they use him as an errand boy? In the middle of this season, Al Qaeda sends Nicholas Brody to pickup another mole and take him somewhere. Al Qaeda makes Brody do all kinds of dumb stuff like that. A mole in congress is a hugely valuable asset. Why waste it on stupid chores? Answer: Because plot is hard.

Character development has halted: Season one was about Brody and Carrie creeping toward instability. This provided narrative arch. In season two, both have spent the entire time whacked out. Carrie cries every episode. Viewers get numb to that stuff.

The show is riddled with other dumb implausibilities: For example: One minute, the CIA is monitoring all of Brody's calls. The next, Abu Nazir is Skyping him about murdering the Vice President and the CIA has no idea. By the way, Abu Nazir got into the US somehow? And is running around an industrial plant by himself? What?

There is only one solution for Homeland.

They need to kill off Brody and make the show about another CIA case – pronto.

Recommended For You

The Board Room

Editors' Picks

But I agree with everything except the implausibility part. This show has always been implausible. It's genre, not a documentary. The people still feel real, which is more important than the plot feeling real.